Miss Marm Blog

Lillian Luterman and Jennifer Bloom (they're a mother-daughter team!) have been helping kids apply to college for 20 years, and now they've published a book called In! College Admissions and Beyond (check out the FB page here), which argues something

Shuffle Shame, as defined by Urban Dictionary—“Shuffle shame is when your mp3 music player is playing on speakers in shuffle mode, and somebody enters the room at the exact moment the worst song of your collection is being played.” Though seemingly a trivial embarrassment, an experience with shuffle shame had an unexpectedly powerful impact on me, and considerably altered the way I think about others’ perceptions of me.

Since reading this essay a few weeks ago, I've thought about it a lot. That might be because Fiona is my soul sister (like her, I'm a nerdy feminist Hot 97 addict who feels kind of guilty about listening to misogynist lyrics for hours and hours every day), but it might be because her essay is interesting and original. Do I just identify with Fiona, or is her essay truly fascinating? Read on and decide!

"Running booty, running booty/ right there, and I ain’t goin’ nowhere/ running booty, running booty/ go for me, go for me, go for me!" starts my favorite song of the moment. The lyrics are rapidly rasped, sung, and yelled over an unrelentingly fast and bass-heavy beat that knocks like a robust and energetic mechanical heart. The song is a rarity on the internet; you’re more likely to find it in an overcrowded club in the back streets of New Orleans blaring live from the speakers than on any blog. Around the artist, you’re just as likely to find a large group of young women dancing in a manner so sexual that its legality seems dubious at best. In short, the track is the pinnacle of “lose-yourself-in-the-beat” perfection. The only problem with my choice is that I’m a middle-class female nerd living in the suburbs.

Writing an application essay is hard enough. Writing an application essay that stands out from the pack can seem impossible. Sparkler Anthonysays:

I am really struggling with choosing the right topic/finding a central focus or theme for my college essay. I've gone through literally a million ideas and i can't seem to find the right one. Currently I want to write about my autistic sister and her influence on my life. Problem is, I feel like this topic is too cliche and just a guilt card. I've asked my family and friends what they think and i keep getting mixed answers. I'm really lost and would like some guidance. Would you have any tips or advice for me? Thank you very much for your time.

Anna's essay responds to the Common App instruction, "Evaluate a significant experience and its impact on you." If you're not hooked by the first sentence, you're a dirty liar.

“It’s Absinthe-should we try it?” my mother replied in her theatrical voice. My throat tensed, unsure if it should start choking or emitting hysterical laughter. Pensively, she twisted off the top of the crystalline vial and poured small drops of the emerald venom into two small glasses. We cheered; I stared at the liquid in my hand, put it just to my lips so it barely brushed my tongue, and quickly set the glass down. I watched my mother take a real sip and look at me with dazzling eyes and a grin to match, as if that was all it took to say, “That’s right Cancer: to hell with you.”

Jodi writes about a harrowing experience in her application essay. Check out her story.

A teacher once told me that if a person lives a perfect and uneventful life, he or she wouldn’t actually be living a life at all; the tribulations and obstacles in life are what make life worth living. Even at a young age, I knew that this was true. When I was eleven years old, I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a bone cancer too common in growing children my age. I left school to undergo daily treatments of chemotherapy. Every day for a year, chemicals were pumped through a medical port near my heart. As my body fought both the medicine and my tumor, my muscles grew sore. My hair fell off. Life became increasingly difficult. I felt like my body was fighting against me. My friends at school kept contact with me in the beginning, but soon, their lack of compassion strained our relationships; I stopped speaking to them shortly after I had my first major surgery.

Miss_Legithas a legit gripe with Twilight, and she doesn't care who knows it.

Question: Identify a significant global problem, issue or event which has appeared recently in major newspapers and about which you feel strongly. Write an imaginary letter to the editor of one of these major newspapers in which you take a position on that issue or event. Be sure to consider all key perspectives on the topic and support your stand with evidence.

My Response:
Dear Editor,

Over the last few months, I have become deeply troubled by a new phenomenon. I am afraid that there is a disturbing trend emerging from the shadows and is now taking more than just the teen market by storm. I must say that I am quite fearful of the long term consequences that such a phase will have on both the younger and older generations of this country, maybe even the world. This plague upon society can only be addressed by one name: Twilight.